Expandable container

ABSTRACT

An expandable container has a bellows portion within its body that permits the container to change volume as the bellows portion expands or collapses.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is within the field of containers. Specifically the invention is an expandable container.

BACKGROUND ART

Containers, such as peanut butter containers, typically come in a rigid form. That is, the container is unable to expand or contract to accommodate a variable volume of material inside the container. To use a peanut butter container as an example, as the contents of the container are consumed it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain peanut butter from the bottom of the container. Alternatively, it may be necessary to transfer a volume of material from, for example, a metal container, to a container that does not corrode once exposed to air. The transferring container may be larger than the receiving container and so it is necessary to search for a container having sufficient volume to hold all of the contents of the can. In both cases it would be beneficial to have a container that was expandable or collapsible. For an expandable container, the volume can change from small to larger. For a collapsible container the volume can decrease and move the floor of the container closer to the mouth of the container to access contents in the bottom of the container.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem Technical Solution

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings noted above by providing an expandable container. The container has a first configuration which is a collapsed configuration and a first volume. The container has a second configuration which is an expanded configuration with a second volume that is larger than the first volume. The body of the container is a continuous membrane with a bellows portion formed in the side of the body that is able to expand and contract as desired.

Advantageous Effects

The invention has the following advantages:

1. The expandable container has a changeable volume.

2. The expandable container permits access to material contained in the bottom of the container.

3. The expandable container can be sold empty as a storage container having a varying volume or the container can be sold with contents in the expanded configuration that is able to collapse as the contents are emptied from the container.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention in an expanded configuration.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a collapsed configuration.

FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of the invention in an expanded configuration.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 in a collapsed configuration.

BEST MODE Mode for Invention

Referring now to the figures, the invention 10 is an expandable container shown generally as 10 comprising a body 12 having a bottom portion 14, a top portion 16 and a bellows portion 18 disposed between the bottom portion 14 and the top portion 16. FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 show the bellows portion 18 in a fully expanded configuration as it would appear when filled with a consumable material such as peanut butter. The consumable material would have a full level 20 within the expandable container proximate to the top portion 16. The container would assume a partially collapsed configuration (not illustrated) between the fully expanded configuration shown in FIG. 1 and the fully collapsed configuration shown in FIG. 2 when the consumable material was partially depleted. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 there is illustrated a fully collapsed configuration wherein the bellows portion 18 is fully compressed. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 the consumable material would be nearly depleted however the top surface of the consumable material within the container would remain at a level 20 proximate to the top portion 16 of the container. Advantageously, this permits access to the contents of the container even when the contents are depleted without having to resort to long handled implements and ensure little wastage of the consumable.

To collapse the expandable container it is only required to apply an axial 22 compressive hand force on the top surface 24 of the container that is sufficient to overcome the natural resiliency of the bellows portion 18. Similarly, to expand the container, a similar axial tensile hand force is required to expand the bellows. The ability to collapse the bellows 18 as the consumable is depleted permits the level of consumable material remains proximate to the top portion and easily extracted from the expandable container.

In the embodiments shown in the figures, the expandable container body 12 is cylindrical as this is a typical shape of a consumable container. However, it is possible to adopt other shapes such as ovoid and even rectangular.

The bottom portion 14 comprises a floor 26 and a non-expandable wall 28. The non-expandable wall 28 further comprises a first indentation 30 and a first band 32. First indentation 30 provides more flexibility to the bottom portion wall when axial forces are being applied compressively so that the wall 28 is not over stressed and fractured. The band 32 provides a suitable boundary layer between the bottom portion 14 and the bellows portion 18.

The top portion 16 comprises an open mouth 40 for receiving and extracting the consumable material. The top portion 16 further comprises a threaded neck 42 disposed contiguously below the open mouth 40 for accepting a threaded closure (not illustrated) to seal the open mouth. The threaded neck 42 also comprises an abutment 44 to create an air-tight sealing engagement with the threaded closure to maintain the consumables fresh.

The top portion 16 further comprises an outwardly flared non-expandable wall section 46 disposed contiguously from the abutment. Below the flared wall section 46 there is a second band 48 disposed contiguously from the flared wall section and a second indentation 50 disposed contiguously from the second band 48. The second indentation 50 provides additional flexibility and force absorption during the application of an axial hand force. This helps to ensure that the hand force does not damage the bellows or over-compress the bottom portion 14. Beneath the second indentation is a third band 52 disposed contiguously from the second indentation 50. The third band 52 forms a boundary between the top portion 16 and the bellows portion 18.

The bellows portion 18 is disposed contiguously between the third band 52 and the first band 32.

The bellows portion comprises a contiguous series of interlocking discs 60 so that the bellows portion 18 remains in a desired configuration until a sufficient hand force is applied axially either compressively to further collapse the bellows or in tension to expand the bellows. Each disc of the series of interlocking discs comprises a top wall 62, a bottom wall 64 and a protruding ring 66 disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall. The ring 66 is adapted to permit the bottom wall 64 to fold upwards into the top wall 62 as illustrated by arrow 69 and retain the bottom wall in folded configuration as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4.

In one embodiment the invention the container is a moulded plastic container.

In another embodiment of the invention the container is sufficiently flexible to permit hand grasping.

Industrial Applicability

Sequence List Text 

1. An expandable container comprising: a. a body having a first width, a variable body height, a bottom portion, a top portion and a single expandable bellows portion disposed between said bottom portion and said top portion, wherein said variable body height is variable between a fully expanded bellows configuration and a fully collapsed bellows configuration; b. a sealable mouth having a second width that is substantially the same as said first width of said body so that the bottom portion of said expandable container is easily accessible by a utensil from said sealable mouth when the expandable container is in said fully collapsed bellows configuration; and, c. wherein said single expandable bellows portion comprises a contiguous series of interlocking discs.
 2. The container of claim 1 wherein the variable body height in said fully expandable bellows configuration is approximately twice the variable body height in the fully collapsed bellows configuration.
 3. The container of claim 1 wherein when in the fully expanded bellows configuration each of said contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises a protruding ring member, a top wall having a top wall length and extending in a diagonally upwards and inwards disposition from an inside surface of said protruding ring member and a bottom wall having a bottom wall length and extending in a diagonally downwards and inwards disposition from an outside surface of the protruding ring member.
 4. The container of claim 3 wherein each of the contiguous series of interlocking discs are joined between said top wall and said bottom wall at generally right angles.
 5. The container of claim 4 wherein said top wall length is greater, than said bottom wall length.
 6. The container of claim 5 wherein when in the fully collapsed bellows configuration the top wall retains said diagonally upwards and inwards disposition. and the bottom wall is folded upwards and around said inside surface of the disk member so that it rests substantially parallel to the top member.
 7. The container of claim 1 wherein said contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises seven discs.
 8. The container of claim 1 wherein the contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises less than seven discs.
 9. The container of claim 1 wherein the contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises more than seven discs.
 10. An expandable container comprising: a. a body having a first width, a bottom portion, a top portion and a single expandable bellows portion disposed between said bottom portion and said top portion, wherein said body has a height in a fully expanded bellows configuration that is approximately half said height in a fully collapsed bellows configuration; b. a sealable mouth having a second width that is substantially the same as said first width of said body so that the bottom portion of said expandable container is easily accessible by a utensil from said sealable mouth when the expandable container is in said fully collapsed bellows configuration; and, c. wherein when in said fully expanded configuration said single expandable bellows portion comprises a contiguous series of interlocking discs each comprising a protruding ring member, a top wall having a top wall length and extending in a diagonally upwards and inwards disposition from an inside surface of said protruding ring member and a bottom wall having a bottom wall length and extending in a diagonally downwards and inwards disposition from an outside surface of the protruding ring member; d. so that each of the contiguous series of interlocking discs are joined between said top wall and said bottom wall at generally right angles.
 11. The container of claim 10 wherein said top wall length is greater than said bottom wall length.
 12. The container of claim 10 wherein when in the fully collapsed bellows configuration the top wall retains said diagonally upwards and inwards disposition and the bottom wall is folded upwards and around said inside surface of the disk member so that it rests substantially parallel to the top member.
 13. The container of claim 10 wherein said contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises seven discs.
 14. The container of claim 10 wherein the contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises less than seven discs.
 15. The container of claim 10 wherein the contiguous series of interlocking discs comprises more than seven discs. 